Winfield Scott Hancock (1824 – 1886) was a career
U.S. Army officer and the
Democratic nominee for
President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the
Mexican-American War and as a
Union general in the
American Civil War. Known to his Army colleagues as "Hancock the Superb", he was noted in particular for his personal leadership at the
Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. His military service continued after the Civil War, as Hancock participated in the military
Reconstruction of
the South and the Army's presence at the Western
frontier. After the Civil War, Hancock's reputation as a soldier and his dedication to conservative constitutional principles made him a quadrennial Presidential possibility. This nationwide popularity led the Democrats to nominate him for President in
1880. Although he ran a strong campaign, Hancock was defeated by
Republican James Garfield by the closest popular vote margin in American history. Following the election, Hancock carried on as commander of the Division of the Atlantic, and was elected president of the
National Rifle Association in 1881. (
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